Last week’s online Thought Leadership event on national defamation reforms with NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman SC MP and defamation law experts Jim Micallef and Sophie Dawson was well received, providing a comprehensive analysis of both the intent and potential impact of the reforms. The Attorney General foreshadowed that while it would be ideal for the new laws to commence in all jurisdictions on the same date, NSW reserves the right to move to enact the laws when there’s a critical mass, to avoid an unacceptable delay. Mr Speakman signalled that the discussion paper on the second stage of reforms will be released by the end of this year, with the subsequent legislation to be ready in mid-2022. The event is now available on demand.

Meanwhile, earlier today, the Law Society’s online Government Solicitors Week kicked off with an opening address on executive federalism by Michael Kingston, Australian Government Solicitor. It’s been a mammoth task to move the traditional one-day annual conference to an online event across five days but, if the opening session is anything to go by, it has been worth the effort. The line-up of sessions for the rest of the week is quite impressive and includes Tuesday’s session with Brett Walker SC on ‘The Issue of Legal Professional Privilege with Respect to Secrecy, Including National Security and Parliamentary and Statutory Inquiries’, and Thursday’s panel discussion on ‘The Future of Government Lawyers’ presented by Sarah Sandstad, General Counsel of NSW Public Service Commission, and Sayuri Grady, General Counsel of the Australian Public Service Commission. The online program will include 10 CPD units across all mandatory knowledge areas.

In terms of CPD and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am also pleased to advise members that the Law Society will not be enforcing the five-unit cap on private study of audio/visual material as set out in the Legal Profession Uniform Continuing Professional Development (Solicitors) Rules 2015 (CPD rules) for the 2020-21 CPD year. All other requirements under the CPD rules must be satisfied unless an exemption or extension of time is granted. Further information is available on the Law Society website.

On a final note, this Thursday 10 September is R U OK? Day, a national day of action to remind all of us that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?”. Remember, once you ask this question, you don’t have to be an expert to keep the conversation going when someone says they’re not OK. By knowing what to say you can help someone feel supported and access appropriate help long before they’re in crisis, which can make a really positive difference to their life.

And if you or a fellow practitioner would benefit from professional support, there are many services available to assist, including the Law Society’s new Solicitor Outreach Service (SOS), a dedicated and confidential psychological service for NSW solicitors, delivered by third-party provider PeopleSense by Altius. Access to this support is only a phone call away on 1800 592 296.

Richard Harvey, President, Law Society of NSW

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